False Claims Act Update & Alert
	Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund | Washington, D.C. | WWW.TAF.ORG           Feb 3, 2010
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		Subscribe to this FREE Newsletter Enter your Email Powered by FeedBlitz n TAF Home Page n Previous Newsletters n Email editor   Please take a moment to forward this FREE electronic newsletter to others that might be interested!	Novartis To Plead Guilty Swiss drug maker Novartis has said it will plead guilty to criminal fraud charges related to the company's off-label promotion of the epilepsy drug Trileptal, and will pay a $185 million fine.  Novartis' Trileptal problems are only part of the equation, however; Novartis is also being investigated for kickbacks and off-label marketing related to Diovan, Exforge, Sandostatin, Tekturna and Zelnorm.  In a sign that a global settlement may be at hand, Novartis has said that it has increased its litigation reserve from $318 million to $397 million.>> To read more
			Major Drug Cases in the Wings 44GlaxoSmithKline has reserved $400 million to settle off-label and kickback charges.  44Forest Laboratories has reserved $170 million to settle off-label and kickback charges.  44AstraZeneca has reserved $500 million to settle off-label and kickback charges.
			Will Stimulus Money See Repeat Players in the Game of Fraud? CNN reports that in Massachusetts, "The federal stimulus program is funding roadway construction... But more than half of the companies that have received taxpayer dollars to perform the work have a history of breaking the law."  >> To read more
			Atricure to Pay U.S. $3.76 Million Atricure, a medical device manufacturer in Ohio, has agreed to pay $3.76 million to settle a False Claims Act case connected to the payment of kickbacks to promote the the sale and use of its surgical anti-scaring devices. >> To read more
			A Smoking Gun PowerPoint A PowerPoint used by Johnson & Johnson's Ortho-McNeil division has floated into public domain.  The presentation appears to show sales reps "selling the kickback" to Omnicare. >> To read more
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